Update: This post was originally published to coincide with our Two Together subscription with the company BRB Travel, which has now unfortunately gone into administration. However, the list still stands, as I’d still like to visit all of the below places!
Part of the joy of travelling with BRB Travel is the surprise element of where you’ll end up going on your trips – but luckily you can put together a top ten list of places you’d love to go which can give the team an idea of where to send you and what type of travel you like!
Despite having a passion for travel, I actually found it pretty hard to choose the top ten destinations for myself and my boyfriend. BRB Travel offers trips to a whopping 63 destinations across Europe to travel to – so it’s very hard to narrow down your choices! My boyfriend has also done his fair share of travel around Europe already from when he used to photograph weddings and one week he spent interrailing, so we had to keep in mind that some places I really want to visit, he’d already been to.
We also knew that picking our top ten wasn’t guaranteeing those trips right off the bat, so of course there’s still that element of surprise.
I’m obviously spending a lot of time daydreaming about future trips at the moment, so I thought I’d share a blog post outlining what’s on my/our top 10 European destinations with BRB Travel (in alphabetical order!)
BADEN-BADEN, Germany
Oh, Baden-Baden. If there’s anything my last road trip blog post has taught me, it’s that I NEED to find somewhere moody, atmospheric and ideal for autumn/winter vibes this side of the Atlantic Ocean. Baden-Baden seems to have answered my prayers – although it sure is as pretty in summer too. Baden-Baden is a spa town apparently, so if this means relaxing in a hot tub with the view of the luscious forests, then sign me up.*
*I may have created a full (incorrect?) fantasy in my head here purely based on the marketing image BRB Travel have used for Baden-Baden – of a car driving along a road surrounded by green and orange forest. I have no regrets. Apparently, there is the stunning and picturesque Black Forest National Park though!
BUDAPEST, Hungary
Budapest has been on my to-go list forEVER. In fact, I wasn’t going to include it on my BRB Travel destinations list because like Amsterdam, I know it’s somewhere super cheap and I could probably book it cheaper myself. But I’m so desperate to visit that I’m leaving it in the hands of the BRB Travel team as well as keeping a constant eye on flight deals. I WILL get there in 2021 (pandemic pending). Bring on the thermal baths and ruin bars please.
GDANSK, Poland
Right off the bat I’m going to cheat and say Gdansk in Poland, as we were pleasantly surprised to discover we were supposed to fly there on our second trip before lockdown hit! Now I’d never heard of Gdansk but between our destination being revealed and the realization that any travel to Poland wasn’t doable at the moment, I obviously did my fair share of research..and I’ve got to say, I’d probably prefer Gdansk than the popular Krakow! The city offers so much to do/see, including the world’s longest pier, the world’s largest castle and even a pirate ship (which you can take along the canal), and of course the wonderful old town too. Plus it’s super cheap, with many people flocking to the famous Milk bars (kind of like government cafeterias) where you can find a full meal for two less than a tenner!
SPLIT, Croatia
I mean who wouldn’t want to jet off to Split/Croatia in the summer? With the most beautiful blue waters and plenty of history, Split should be on anyone’s bucket list. Even though I think this trip would be spent mostly enjoying the sunshine, there are lots of things to do in Split, including rewarding hikes, breath-taking nature and even a fortress at Croatia’s second-largest city.
SEVILLE + BILBAO, Spain
I’ve never been particularly keen on Spain, my only experience having come from one boozy uni holiday to Salou back in my student days, but I’m open to being proven wrong. Luckily BRB Travel offers quite a few destinations in Spain, with Seville and Bilbao both catching my eye due to how charming they both look. Whilst Bilbao is renowned for its arts and architecture, Seville sounds like it’s a bit more laid back. I think, given how much we tried to pack into our last trip to Milan, should we end up visiting either of these two Spanish destinations, they’ll be welcome trips spent enjoying the sunshine and taking it a bit more easy.
Plus Bilbao seems to be home to pintxos bites – slightly similar to aperitivo and you all know how crazy I went over the idea of aperitivo in Milan!
LUXEMBOURG CITY, Luxembourg
Luxembourg (city) is jam-packed full of historic museums, nearby castles and beautiful surrounding countryside, according to BRB. And that’s about as far as I’m going to go with this one – a random pick, chosen due to it’s pretty photo of a castle and the description of it’s beautiful surroundings. I feel like this one would be great in winter and may be worth renting a car for a mini road trip to get the best views (especially as it’s one of Europe’s smallest countries, so we’d probably see a whole lot!).
SOFIA, Bulgaria
I’ll admit – I picked this one out of popularity. And that’s okay! The whole point of BRB Travel is that it sends you to surprise destinations, which are sometimes places you’ve never even considered before. Sofia seems like it offers plenty of stunning views and quirky nightlife – but all the museums and delicious food will also be at the top of my list if we go.
REYKJAVIK, Iceland
Iceland is another place I’ve wanted to visit for a good few years now. Many people already know what’s on offer at ReykjavÃk, so I’ll keep this one short and sweet, but the main selling points for me are the Blue Lagoon Spa and, of course, the Northern Lights – something I’ve always wanted to see, even more so now that we’ve been watching His Dark Materials! I’d also be tempted to rent a car and do a little road trip around this area of Iceland, if we have time!
UPDATE: I have now visited ReykjavÃk!
Read more: A winter break in Iceland: exploring ReykjavÃk
LISBON, Portugal
Lisbon has been recommended to me time and time again so I already know this cool city won’t disappoint. Again, I’m choosing to do as little research as possible on this place because if we do go, I have a friend from Lisbon who has always had plenty of recommendations to share – so I’ll be listening to her to make sure I experience the city like a local. Oh, but the trams. I’ll definitely be seeking out to see/jump on as many of them as possible. I love a good tram. My obsession with trams probably began thanks to seeing them in Blackpool when I was younger – somehow I think the ones in Lisbon are a lot different…but I’m getting off track (no pun intended).
LAKE COMO, Italy
My boyfriend has actually visited Lake Como but it was between this and Venice (which he’s visited like three times – don’t worry, I’m constantly hinting for him to take me there too!), and luckily he can vouch for it being amazing. Again, I’ve purposely done little to no research on this destination as with upcoming trips, I want to make sure I dedicate some travelling to simply enjoying somewhere at a slower pace, exploring, getting lost and enjoying the scenery. Lake Como will totally be one of those trips.
Read more: 10 must-visit hidden gems in Milan
Here’s hoping we get back to regular travel soon and get to visit one of these places! Creating this list has also reminded me, once more, how many wonderful places we can find close to home. Although I’m lowkey obsessed with American road trips and have high hopes of travelling the world to places so different to what I know like Thailand, Peru, Bali etc, I always try to remember that Europe is just as amazing!
If you had to create a top ten bucket list of places to travel to in Europe, which destinations would be on your list? Let me know!
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